Manaea Dominates, Mets Offense Erupts in 11-1 Rout
Bo Bichette went a perfect 5-for-5 with 3 RBI and 3 runs scored as the Mets dismantled Pittsburgh 11-1 on August 9. Sean Manaea was nearly untouchable, striking out 11 over 7 innings while allowing just 1 earned run on 3 hits.
New York wasted no time. In the first inning, Benge singled to left to score Ewing, and Robert Jr. followed with a sacrifice fly to push the lead to 2-0. Pittsburgh had no answer for what was coming. The third inning is where this game was effectively decided — Robert Jr. crushed a 408-foot homer to center, scoring Bichette to make it 4-0, and then Semien singled home Young to push it to 5-0. Pittsburgh got one back when Mangum went deep 420 feet to center, but that was the extent of any fight the home side could muster. That Robert Jr. blast in the third was the turning point by every measure: Pittsburgh's win probability swung from 33% to 17% on that single swing, and the game never came close to being competitive again.
The fourth inning buried Pittsburgh for good. Bichette — who looks like he simply refused to make an out tonight — laced a double to left that scored Alvarez, Lindor, and Ewing in one shot, ballooning the lead to 8-1. Young then singled home Bichette to make it 9-1. Alvarez added a solo shot to left center in the fifth, 393 feet, for 10-1. Robert Jr. capped the scoring in the seventh with a single to center that scored Bichette for the 11th and final run. Bichette crossed the plate three times and drove in three more — a performance that appears to have been one of the more complete offensive nights any Mets hitter has put together this season.
The story of the night, though, might be the two-headed pitching performance. Manaea was dominant — 7 innings, 11 strikeouts, zero walks, 3 hits, 1 earned run. That's a line that commands attention regardless of the opponent. Jack Weisenburger then handled the final two innings cleanly, allowing 1 hit and striking out 2. Pittsburgh's pitching staff cycled through arms — Doval and Montgomery each had moments of competence, with Montgomery retiring the side on 3 strikeouts in his inning — but the damage was already catastrophic by the time either of them took the mound. Robert Jr. finished 2-for-5 with a homer and 4 RBI. Jared Young went 3-for-5. This was a thorough, professional dismantling, and it wasn't particularly close at any point after the third inning.